Tesco is calling on government to provide a clear and comprehensive plan to support UK farmers in the transition to net zero as it announces new plans to set up two low carbon concept farms in its supply chain to trial low carbon farming methods and help suppliers accelerate innovation.
Speaking in a session today at the Oxford Farming Conference, Tesco’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ashwin Prasad will call on government to set a clear vision for sustainable agriculture, including greater investment and policy certainty, to enable the industry to drive sustainable economic growth. The recommendations are based on a new report, produced by Tesco in collaboration with Harper Adams University, which consulted more than 300 UK farmers on the future sustainability of the industry.
The research found 74% of farmers surveyed are concerned about the impact of climate change on their farms and two thirds (67%) are already seeing the effects. Three quarters however (76%) haven’t been able to implement all the environmental measures they want to due to high upfront costs, the risk of poor financial returns and a lack of policy certainty from government.
Tesco is calling on government to better support UK farmers through a long-term land use and food security strategy; improved funding for all stages of innovation that aids sustainability; and setting common environmental standards which farmers can regularly measure against to help prioritise investment in the most effective and sustainable farming techniques. At the same time, Tesco will continue to support the industry to implement clearer sustainability requirements and standards; working with farmers to simplify and standardise data collection; and exploring new models and incentives that could help farmers manage investment risk.
The call to action comes as Tesco announces plans with key suppliers for two low carbon concept farms in its UK supply chain. The multi-year commitment from Tesco will see the trailblazing farms trial new technologies and share learnings to scale the adoption of sustainable approaches. The farms – one in partnership with potato supplier Branston and one in partnership with livestock processor, ABP, will explore current and future innovations such as low carbon fertilisers, alternative fuels, state-of-the-art cold storage, and carbon removal techniques, as well as innovation in other areas including soil health, grazing management, biodiversity assessment and management, and genetic improvements. The farms will aim to provide farmers in Tesco’s supply network with a practical demonstration of a route to net zero, helping pave the way to more low carbon farms in the future.
Ashwin Prasad, chief commercial officer, Tesco said “As the biggest customer of UK agriculture, we know providing our customers with healthy, affordable and sustainable food wouldn’t be possible without the expertise and dedication of our farmers across the country. But to continue to thrive in the future, the industry needs more certainty and support. Many of the solutions we need exist today, but government and the food industry need to make sure we have the right incentives in place so that UK agriculture can reach its potential as a driver of both sustainability and economic growth.
“We’ve already been working with farmers to help them reduce their environmental impact, from providing incentives to farmers to measure their carbon footprint to rolling out new innovations like low carbon fertilisers. We’re pleased to be building on this further with our new low carbon test farms, working with some of our supplier partners to pioneer new approaches to understand the most effective ways to reduce emissions and environmental impact, while continuing to bring the British public great quality food, at a price they can afford.”
Harper Adams University deputy vice-chancellor professor Michael Lee said: “As the Greenprint report notes, farmers know the importance of tackling climate change – with most reporting they are already seeing its effect on their farms. Giving farmers the skills and knowledge they need to farm sustainably was one of the drivers for Harper Adams University as we set up the School of Sustainable Food and Farming. The School works with key industry players to boost the skills and knowledge of farmers and others in our food chain as we move towards sustainable Net Zero.
“The successful Tesco Future Farmer programme is a great example of how farmers, retailers and researchers at universities like Harper Adams can all strive together to build a sustainable future.
“The challenge of moving our food and farming systems towards Net Zero and ensuring food security at the same time is huge, and we all need to work together to take it on.”
The new farms are the latest in a range of commitments from Tesco to support farmers across the supply chain, following on from its partnership with Lloyd’s Banking Group, the Soil Association and other retailers earlier this week to support farmers to reduce emissions on farm.
They build on the work of Tesco’s long running sustainable farming groups (SFGs), which convene industry representatives; share knowledge between farmers, suppliers and Tesco colleagues; and trial innovations that can help reduce on-farm emissions and protect biodiversity. Tesco’s SFGs include groups dedicated to its milk, cheese, beef, lamb and potato farmers, and offer members fair and transparent pricing structures, as well as support to reduce emissions through carbon footprinting for lamb, beef and dairy group members.
